Celestial Human Diagram

Teacher Xue added a cautionary word, then said, "Before Refining comes Nourishing. I will now teach you the ’Nourishing’ Method I didn’t go into detail about before."

Chen Chuan focused his attention and listened intently once more. He could feel that after being passively guided just now, his concentration had become much sharper.

Teacher Xue said, "The spirit resides within the body and originates from it. Therefore, the prerequisites for a Fighter to undertake Spiritual Cultivation are a tenacious will and a strong physique.

So, in the Nourishing step, one must not only nourish the Divine Constant but also the Essence Blood. The two are indispensable. First, I will teach you the method for gathering and nourishing Essence Blood, as well as the method for dispelling it."

Since this mostly involved Breathing Techniques and the circulation of Power, Teacher Xue was very direct, conveying the secrets straight through his Domain.

The Essence Blood gathering and nourishing method Chen Chuan had used before was one he learned from the academy. He now felt this new set of techniques was related to the previous one, like an evolution from the original foundation, but far more complex and profound.

This Dharma Gate consisted entirely of physical techniques, and with it being transmitted through the Domain, he grasped it very quickly.

However, he could sense that this teacher’s Domain seemed to be just that—a Domain. It was as if it was only a presence, yet there was nothing inside it. He couldn’t feel anything; it was empty and traceless.

’He must be like this because his Domain’s Spiritual Techniques are so incredibly profound that I can’t even begin to fathom them.’

Seeing that he seemed to understand, Teacher Xue didn’t pause and continued with the next topic:

"Next, I’ll teach you a ’Spirit Nourishing’ Meditation Method. I’ll explain it to you in detail first. Additionally, I will grant you access on the academy’s platform, which will allow you to log in to an internal portal to review it.

There’s an appendix of Q&As accumulated over time. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can look it up there directly. If you’re still unclear after that, then you can come ask me."

As he spoke, he once again transmitted the Meditation Method to Chen Chuan through his Domain, then added, "The Spirit Nourishing Method has two key components. Besides the meditation itself, it requires the support of proper medicine."

He took a box out of his pocket, slid off the cover, and revealed three sticks of incense, each as thick as a thumb and about two inches long. He then pushed it in front of Chen Chuan.

"During the ’Heart Stabilizing’ stage, you’ll use this to aid your meditation. You can buy this Aromatic Medicine at the academy. It isn’t very valuable on its own, but its effect is significant when used with the Meditation Method I taught you. I see your Divine Constant is quite abundant, Chen. You must have studied a fairly advanced Meditation Method before, haven’t you?"

Chen Chuan nodded. He was using the Dharma Gate that Senior Brother Cao had given him before.

Teacher Xue said, "There’s a lot of nuance to Meditation Methods. Different stages require different medicines to complement them, just as you gradually used different medicines throughout your fighting training. Some people don’t lack a Meditation Method; they lack the compatible medicine.

Furthermore, advanced Meditation Methods actually require special aromatic incenses to be twice as effective with half the effort. But the more advanced the method, the harder it is to obtain the necessary medicine.

The Ancient National Church had the ’Taibai Realm Temple,’ and the Old Imperial Family had the ’Riding the Dragon Great Yi.’ Both are considered among the most advanced Meditation Methods. It’s said that there are still people who know them today, but the matching Aromatic Medicines can no longer be found.

So, even though the methods themselves are excellent, practicing them alone might only yield one or two-tenths of their original efficacy, perhaps even less. Hmm, I’ve digressed. This Aromatic Medicine doesn’t last long. It’s best if you use it within the next few days."

Chen Chuan said, "I understand."

Teacher Xue then got up from the floor and said, "Well, it’s getting late. That’s all for today’s lesson. I’ll be here for the entire semester and will do my best to teach you everything I’m supposed to. However, how much you can learn will depend on you, Chen."

Chen Chuan also stood up. He glanced at his Realm Token and was surprised to find that over three hours had passed without him realizing. It had felt like less than half an hour.

He bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher. I’ll be troubling you in the future."

Teacher Xue smiled and said, "I was assigned to come here by my superiors, so there’s no need for thanks. In fact, teaching you hasn’t taken much effort at all, Chen. I’m earning my salary the easy way. Alright, I should be going. Hmm, but before I leave, I want to ask you one more question."

Chen Chuan said, "Please ask, Teacher."

Teacher Xue stroked his chin and said, "Chen, do you think the spirit can exist separately from the body?"

Chen Chuan thought about it carefully before answering, "Based on my current understanding, I believe the two are one and the same, inseparable. Neither can exist without the other. However, the world is undergoing drastic changes, so this is just my judgment based on the current situation. It’s not necessarily correct."

Teacher Xue smiled, neither confirming nor denying his answer. He only said, "Well then, Chen, once you’ve mastered the Heart Stabilizing Method, we’ll meet here again at the appointed time. I will be waiting for you."

’Teacher, it should be me waiting for you here,’ Chen Chuan thought.

Out loud, he said, "Take care, Teacher."

Teacher Xue grunted in acknowledgment, gave a wave, and walked out, quickly leaving the training room.

Chen Chuan watched the sunlight streaming in from outside. What he learned today had undoubtedly opened a new door for him. Mastering these things would be enough to raise his strength to another level. The thought filled him with anticipation.

He stood in the warm, dazzling light for a moment before turning to leave.

After returning to his dorm, a notification sound came from his Realm Token. He checked it and saw it was the link to the internal platform from Teacher Xue.

He tapped the light screen, and the interface immediately switched to a platform filled with questions and clarifications about various Meditation Methods. The method he was learning seemed to be among them, but the platform didn’t contain the specific content of the methods themselves.

Some questions had already been answered, while others were still pending.

As he tried to browse, the platform informed him that with his current privileges, he could only view content related to the Meditation Method he was learning and could only ask one question per month.

However, he could increase his privileges by answering others’ questions. The platform didn’t display real identities; it just required him to set up a profile, or rather, choose a platform alias.

He thought for a moment, then combined a character from his nickname with one from Snow Monarch Blade to create an alias. He entered: "Cicada Monarch."

’This platform is incredibly valuable,’ he realized. ’But I don’t have any questions right now. I’ll have to start practicing first. If I run into any problems during my training, I can come back here to find the answers.’

After looking around for a while, he logged out.

’Teacher Xue said he’s only staying for one semester and will teach me as much as I can learn. That means my learning pace can’t be slow, but it must also be steady. Otherwise, if my foundation isn’t solid, I won’t be able to learn much.’

He took out some of the medicine, deciding to first try the method for condensing Essence Blood that Teacher Xue had taught him. He knew very well that this was the most fundamental part. If he didn’t master this, there was no point in discussing what came next.

Sitting down, he consumed the medicine, then slowly regulated his breathing to guide his Mutated Organization in absorbing its medicinal power.

Essence Blood was typically nurtured from the Mutated Organization and finally accumulated in the heart. This process relied mainly on the transformation and stimulation from medicine. The more medicine one could absorb and transform during this process, the more Essence Blood one would naturally obtain, and the more efficient the Breathing Technique would be.

This guidance session took about an hour, and the amount of accumulated Essence Blood was noticeably greater than before. This was only his first attempt; once he became proficient, the cumulative gains over time would be quite substantial.

When Teacher Xue taught him the method for gathering and nourishing Essence Blood, he had also taught him a dispelling method. This was a Dharma Gate used to dissolve medicinal power and was also part of the Breathing Technique.

Normally, it needed to be used at the end of every training session. If not, the accumulated medicinal toxins would harm the Fighter over time.

It was worth noting that his previous nourishing method didn’t have this step, which was why medicinal toxins would usually accumulate.

Although this would take a lot more time, it eliminated the hidden danger. For an ordinary Fighter, this step was undoubtedly indispensable. Besides, even with the extra time spent, the amount of Essence Blood accumulated was still more than before.

However, he had the Second Self to transfer these away, so he didn’t need to worry about it. This meant he could save that time.

After practicing the nourishing Dharma Gate, the next step was the Refining Method.

Teacher Xue had said the Aromatic Medicine was time-sensitive and should be used soon, so he took out a stick and lit it directly.

After a while, a mist like a faint cloud rose from the Aromatic Medicine, enveloping him. A light, pure fragrance entered his nostrils, and his mind immediately became tranquil. He instantly began following the steps of the Meditation Method to nourish and gather his Divine Constant.

In less than two hours, all three sticks of Aromatic Medicine were used up. When he emerged from his meditative state, he felt as if his spirit had been cleansed, and his Divine Thought was exceptionally clear.

Just then, he saw two unread voice messages on his Realm Token and tapped the light screen to open them.

One was from Wu Han. He said that he had followed Old Qi to complete a commission in the last two days. The process went smoothly, they got paid quickly, and the person Chen Chuan had recommended was very reliable.

He also said that he hadn’t seen anyone tailing him, but he would keep an eye out and notify Chen Chuan if any problems arose.

The other message was from Lu Fang. He said he had returned from Yangzhi and had just arrived in Central City today. He was now back at the Fighting Hall.

After replying to both of them, he got up and performed a set of Orthodox Scattering Hand to stretch his muscles and bones. He ate a few sticks of Nutrition Paste, then sat down. Next, it was time to formally begin his practice of the Refining Method.

The Second Self couldn’t help him with this kind of purely spiritual practice yet, though he could use some items for assistance, such as the Jade Core from the High Heaven Jade he had just obtained.

Even without being processed into medicine, this item could invigorate the spirit and would undoubtedly aid his cultivation. However, he thought about it and decided to save it for later. For his first attempt at the Refining Method, it was best to rely purely on himself to stabilize his mind.

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